An Unusual Lack of Properness
by thefrostedrose
Summary: Mr. Darcy and Jane Bennet run into each other in London after he returns from Rosings Park. Trapped at Darcy's house, and two wine bottles later, madness insues...Jane/Darcy.


_The idea just popped into my head. I love Pride and Prejudice so much, and I watch parts of the movie basically every week. I even compare situations in my life to things and Pride and Prejudice (which annoys my friends...and humors them :) Anyway, I like Jane and Darcy as friends. I love Elizabeth and Darcy ALMOST as much as I love Jane and Bingley. Almost, but not quite. By the way, Sardines is like the British version of Hide and Seek._

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><p>Jane Bennet liked going for walks almost as much as her sister did. She enjoyed talking to people she passed with her usual amiable attitude, and admiring the scenery. She walked when the weather was nice, however, when Elizabeth walked even if it was pouring rain. Unfortunately for Jane, London was a very rainy, cloudy place after Christmas, and her only way to escape her aunt and uncle was to walk. She loved her cousins; truly, she did, even though they clinged to her like a magnet, and she adored her aunt and uncle, but they were always pestering her to go out and do something. She was too polite to tell them that she wanted some alone time, so they assumed that she was out with friends or shopping when she really went for walks.<p>

Today was no exception. The day began with her little cousins nagging her to play a game with them, which she did without objection. Her aunt and uncle looked at her with concern; Jane seemed better than when she first left Longbourn after the Bingley's departure from Netherfield, but they weren't quite so sure. Jane once again convinced them she was fine, but they ushered her out of the house anyway, so she went for a walk. She usually stayed close to Gracechurch Street, but today she knew that all of the family would be around all day, and she would be ushered out again as soon as she arrived home before nine o'clock. So, Jane was walking around Green Park aimlessly, letting her mind wander, and admiring Buckingham Palace.

She often thought about what it would be like to be royalty. A princess. She blushed slightly at the thought. Wonderful parties and clothes and an education that people would rival. Money beyond belief. A loving prince to adore her and support her. She often shook away the thought, since she felt it was selfish; wanting so much for herself, but nothing for her family.

To the many other men strolling the park, she was indeed a princess; the long golden hair, handsome features, thin, tall figure, and gorgeous blue eyes. One of the most lovely personalities they were ever bound to meet. She was kind to them when they talked to her, but showed no one any paticular favor, as always. Maybe once, when the man had red hair and blue eyes, just like hers. As she turned a corner on the path, she barely regarded the nameless faces, lost in her own little world, until she finally noticed a face that wasn't so nameless.

"Mr. Darcy?" She wondered, a little astonished the hear her own voice. The man that was walking towards her looked up, and blinked. It was most definitely Mr. Darcy, she decided. The same prideful manner. Though he did look a little ragged, hurried, and upset.

"Miss Bennet. It's lovely to see you again." He said softly. She forced a small smile.

"How have you been, Mr. Darcy?" She asked. It took him a while to answer.

"Fine. I just got back from Rosings Park." He finally answered, and she raised an eyebrow.

"That's where Elizabeth is! She's visiting Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins." Darcy winced at her sister's name, and Jane narrowed her eyes on him slightly.

"I did not have the pleasure of seeing her there." He said slowly, controlled. There was a long, awkward silence, and Jane silently noted that Mr. Darcy hadn't gotten any better with his conversation skills.

"I am surprised I did not see you sooner here in London, Mr. Darcy. I went to visit Miss Bingley, and she said you were here. I thought I might see you in passing, but I did not." Jane said happily, trying the brighten the mood.

"I did not learn that you were in London until much later." He responded, and another awkward silence insued. "How is your family?"

"Quite well, thank you. And I hope that your sister is in good health?"

"Yes, thank you." More silence, and Darcy couldn't believe how awkward this was. She was just as pleasant as ever, and he thought she must have gotten over Bingley. But what about what Elizabeth had said when she rejected him?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Darcy. I should let you get on with your walk." Jane said, a slight blush creeping up on her pale cheeks. "I hope to see you again soon." Darcy looked at the sky, and saw the clouds darkening. Thunder rumbled quietly, and the wind picked up, leaving them both colder. He glanced behind her, and saw the many men staring at Jane.

"Would you let me accompany you on your walk, Miss Bennet? A young lady like yourself should not be walking around alone." Her eyes widened.

"Of course you may." She answered slowly, and he took her arm quickly, leading her away from the men, in the direction he came. He kept telling himself that he only did it to protect her from vile men, but he really couldn't bear to imagine her dripping wet and freezing, having to walk all the way back to Gracechurch Street. Her big, blue eyes were trained on him as they walked, and he felt slightly uncomfortable. She was studying him; he seemed different from the last time she saw him. Slightly more humbled. "How was your trip to Rosings, Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy ran through a list of adjectives in his head; horrifying, informative, heartbreaking, nauseating. He finally decided on, "Fine. And I expect you are having a good time in London with your aunt and uncle?"

"Yes. It was good to take a break from Longbourn, and Hertfordshire." They continued to walk along silently. He never would have ever thought that he would ever take a stroll through Green Park with Jane Bennet. He had only gone for a walk in Green Park because he had to clear his head after the whole incident with Elizabeth, and he always got lost in Hyde Park. Finally, they had walked all the way to the end of the park, onto Piccadilly, when it finally started to rain. A trenchcial downpour. He glanced at Jane, who was quickly getting soaked, making her dress stick to her, much to the delight of all the men in the area. He sighed, slightly annoyed and disgusted at his fellow speices.

"You better come along to my house. I don't want you to get sick walking all the way back to Gracechurch Street." He asked. Jane nodded. She didn't want a repeat of the last fall. Darcy led her quickly around the streets of London, where people were quickly taking refuge inside. They arrived at Grosvenor Square, which was totally empty. Her heart stopped for a second when she remembered that this was where the Bingleys lived, but gladly they only walked through it. They arrived at Darcy's house in Hanover Square, and he led her in quickly.

The house was massive, and expertly decorated. But the only thing that mattered to Jane at the moment was that it was warm. She was freezing. She vaguely heard Darcy ask one of the maids for a warm towel for Miss Bennet. It quickly came, and he handed it to her. She wrapped it around herself gratefully.

"Dinner will be ready soon. It's supposed to rain for awhile, and you must be hungry..." Jane took that as an invitation to stay for dinner.

"I would love to stay for dinner, Mr. Darcy. Thank you for the invitation, and thank you for your generosity." She smiled, and he led her into the sitting room until dinner was ready. She walked around the room, hugging the towel closer to her, admiring the pianoforte, the expensive furiture, the antique oriental rugs, and the ornate mirror. She finally stopped in front of a portrait. The man was glaring at her in the painting, and she suddenly felt self conscious about her no doubt messy appearance. The man in the painting's pride was unmistakable. "That's you."

"It is." He walked over to her, and handed her a glass of wine. "Painted a year and a half ago, if I remember correctly. And that's my sister." Jane glanced at the painting next to his, of a nice looking, blonde haired girl.

"She looks lovely." Jane replied, and he took a sip of his wine. He had watched her walk around the room, looking at everything in wonderment and awe. He saw a hint of a flicker in her eyes that suggested that she longed for such lovely things one day, but was too virtuous to admit it. The housekeeper notified them dinner was ready, and he brought her into the dining room, dragging him out of his thoughts.

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><p>Fitzwilliam Darcy had never been seriously drunk before. Sure, he had been tipsy, but tonight he was embarassingly drunk. He hardly noticed that the staff had kept filling his wine glass at dinner, and he hardly noticed the empty wine bottle on the floor of the parlor, where he and Jane Bennet now sat, laughing hysterically over him nearly falling off the couch - from laughing. It wasn't so humiliating, though, because she was horribly drunk, too.<p>

His hair was a mess, and his jacket laid on the back of an armchair. Her hair was down, and her dress slightly ruffled. He started pouring her another glass of wine, and thought about how hilarious Jane Bennet was when she was drunk. She was much more loud and saucy then when she was sober. He looked quickly at her, and she burst into giggles as he poured them more wine from their second bottle. The staff had wisely left them alone.

"Mr. Darcy, we should play a game." She suggested, childlike wonder in her eyes.

"Absolutely. And you can call me Will." She grinned.

"Then you can call me Jane."

"What game should we play, Jane?"

"How about Sardines?"

"I haven't played that since I was ten!"

"So? I'll hide first." Jane cried. "Close your eyes and count to twenty!" He glanced around the room, wondering where she was going to hide. She grabbed his hands and placed them over his eyes. "No peeking!"

"Alright, alright! One...two...three..." Will finally reached twenty, he tore his hands off of his eyes, and looked around. From behind an armchair, he could see a few strands of blonde hair peeking out from behind it. He slowly got up, and quietly tip toed over to the chair, and quickly ducked down next to her behind it. "Found you!" She burst into giggles.

"I thought that was a good hiding spot!" She protested, and he laughed. "Now, we have to wait for someone else to find us." She whispered.

"Then we better crouch down further." He replied softly, as if they were conspiring. It took half a minute for him to remember the point of Sardines. "Jane?"

"Hmm?"

"In Sardines, you hide with the first hider, correct?"

"Yes."

"And the last person to find everyone is the new hider?"

"Will, you said you played this before!"

"There are only two of us, Jane. No one is coming to find us."

"...Ohhh!" They glanced at each other, and both started laughing again. Jane got up, and stumbled over the pianoforte, sitting on the top. "I wish I had a pianoforte like this." Will stood up slowly.

"I didn't know you played the pianoforte!"

"I don't."

"Doesn't your family have a pianoforte?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you want one?"

"It's so pretty! I don't care if I don't play."

"I didn't think Jane Bennet was that selfish." Darcy laughed.

"I want plenty of things, Will. I'm just usually too nice to voice them." He grinned, and started walking closer to her, when he tripped over a pillow that had fallen on the floor, and landed squarely on top of Miss Bennet. Jane looked up at him, a slight blush creeping up her face. He looked down at her in embarassment. She had never had a man this close to her before, and even though it was incredibley improper, she was too drunk to care. She smiled shyly, and bit her lip. He noted that she looked pretty adorable when she did that.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, slowly getting off of her. She grinned, and hopped off of the piano after him.

"It's quite alright, Will." She flopped down onto the floor, leaning against the couch. He joined her, pouring them even more wine. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you seen Charles Bingley?" He glanced at her, expecting her to laugh, but she was serious. The way the moonlight was illuminating her, she looked like an angel. He understood what Charles saw in her perfectly.

"Yes." He admitted.

"And how is he?"

"Fine. He's...fine." Will lied softly. He watched her eyes glaze over, and her bottom lip quiver. He watched sadly as she started to cry, the sobs wracking her slender frame.

"I loved him so much! How could he leave me like that?" She cried, and Fitzwilliam Darcy finally understood the consequences of his actions. Jane Bennet really did love Charles Bingley.

"I'm sorry, Jane." He whispered, and she scooted closer to him, her arm pressing against his. He could feel her body trembling.

"Did he think I was boring?" She asked. Will Darcy had never felt so guilty in his life. Watching Jane cry was like watching a sad puppy, or like an angel die.

"No, of course not."

"Then what's wrong with me?" She whispered, and she looked so heartbroken, that Will hugged her. Jane froze, but then slowly hugged him back, and cried even harder. "I loved him...I _loved_ him..."

"Then can I tell you something, Jane? You promise you won't tell anyone?" Will whispered, and she nodded, and tore away from him. "I proposed to Elizabeth." Her eyes widened. The rain pounded on outside, and she waited for him to continue. "She rejected me."

"I didn't know you loved her." Jane said softly.

"I didn't either, for a long time."

"And she rejected you?"

"Said something about me being the last man in the world she could ever be prevailed on to marry." He smiled sadly, and her jaw dropped open.

"I'm so sorry, Will." She whispered. He stared at her for awhile, and he then decided that Jane Bennet was one of the most beautiful woman in the world. Her long, golden hair flowed around her face perfectly, and her big, blue eyes were like sapphires. Her lips were pretty looking, and soft. She was staring at him, as well. Jane thought he looked especially handsome tonight, but that might just have been because she was drunk. He was acting less like a jerk, but that might have been because he was drunk, too; he was kind to her before they even started drinking the wine, though.

He reached out slowly, brushing a stray lock of hair off of her face. His soft touch on her face sent chills through her body. Her eyes were locked with his. She could feel his breath on her face, and he could smell her perfume. And to her surprise, he kissed her.

Jane was not like her younger sisters; she wasn't a flirt, and certainly did not lead men on for her own personal gain. She had flawless propriety. She had never been alone with a man that wasn't her husband for this long. She was shocked when he kissed her. She slowly decided that is was certainly not an unpleasant feeling. He stopped abruptly, feeling that he had maybe gone too far. Will didn't know what came over him; she just looked gorgeous in the moonlight and she was so sweet and he was compelled to do something.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He apologized. Jane didn't know if it was the alcohol talking or herself when she replied,

"Don't be.", and leaned in and kissed him back. Soon, his hands were wound in her hair, and her arms were around her neck. She let him kiss her harder,and she moaned softly under his lips when his tongue began to explore her mouth. She had been kissed before; there was that nice young man when she was fifteen, and another when she was seventeen, and Charles..., but never like this. She finally tore away from him gently, breathing heavily, foreheads resting against one another. She was fully aware that he was a man - one who had just been dumped, no less - and she knew what he wanted. "Will, you know we can't..."

"I know." He whispered, feeling a wince of disappointment. At that very moment, he wanted her badly. He wanted to explore her further, behind closed doors. He kissed her quickly again, and laid down on the floor, wrapping her in his arms. There was a long silence, and they just looked at each other. They were both in awe of what they had just done, but weren't necessairly unhappy. His fingers raked through her gold hair, and he kissed her softly on the forehead. Slowly, both of them fell to sleep on the floor of his sitting room, listening to eachother's breathing and the rain pounding outside.

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><p>Morning sunlight was streaming through the windows when Jane Bennet awoke. She blinked a few times, and glanced around. She slowly realized that this wasn't her aunt and uncle's house on Gracechurch Street. Then, she suddenly realized that someone's hand was on her waist. She looked to her right, and let out a small scream when she saw Fitzwilliam Darcy fast asleep. He jerked awake, and stared at her for a few seconds before he realized that he was staring at <em>Jane Bennet.<em> He jerked away from her, and she jumped away from him. They were both aware now that their heads were pounding, and that they felt like they were going to be sick.

"Mr. Darcy, you do know that it is extremley improper of you to...embrace me when I was asleep?" She whispered in alarm.

"I am perfectly aware, Miss Bennet. I wasn't aware that I was...embracing you until I woke up." They didn't say anything for awhile. They both looked horrible; her dress was wrinkled, her hair was a mess, and his clothing was rumpled and he looked groggy.

"What happened last night, Mr. Darcy?" Jane asked.

"...I don't know." He replied. "At least the rain let up, though." She let a soft, uncomfortable grin cross her face. As her eyes darted around the room, taking in the pillows on the floor, and most importantly, the empty wine bottles.

"I must inform you that I don't normally drink as much as I did last night." Suddenly, the door opened, and one of the maids came in. She took in the sight of Miss Bennet and her employer, Mr. Darcy, on the floor, looking like a mess.

"Mr. Darcy, breakfast is ready." She said slowly, eyes darting between the two young adults.

"Thank you, Rachel. We'll be right there." Mr. Darcy said, his face blanching. She nodded, and left.

Breakfast was painstakingly quiet. Neither one of them wanted to address the fact that they had both gotten ridiculously drunk the night before. The big elephant, the fact that they had so openly kissed, still loomed in the room until she was almost out the door on her way back to Gracechurch Street.

"Mr. Darcy, I feel like I have to tell you that despit what went on last night, I am not romantically interested in you. I normally am not so...forward with my feelings, and I was drunk." She said, adjusting her hair awkwardly in the mirror. He sighed.

"I know, Miss Bennet. There are no hard feelings. In fact, the feeling is mutual. How about we just forget it all ever happened?"

"I think that is best. Thank you again for your generosity." He grinned.

"Miss Bennet, am I still allowed to call you Jane?"

"Only if I can still call you Will." She smiled, and he laughed.

"Can I tell you something, Jane? Friend to friend? We are friends, right?"

"We are friends, Will. Go ahead." Will looked at her a little longer, her eyes wide with curiousity, her hair swept back from her face elegantly, and her face fresh and pretty, as always.

"You are truly beautiful. I think you just might be the most beautiful person I've ever met." He watched the blush creep up her pale cheeks, and she grinned.

"Well, you truly are very handsome." Jane replied. "I have to go." To his surprise, she wrapped him in a quick, unusually improper hug. "I do hope we get to see each other again soon."

"Hopefully it was involve less wine next time." Will laughed. "But maybe another game of Sardines." She grinned, and before she left, she said,

"Don't give up on Lizzie." After she had shut the door, he sighed, and replied,

"And don't give up on Charles Bingley."


End file.
